Independent Financial Advisors in Leeds - Richardson & Wise Finance.

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Richardson & Wise offer independent financial advice on funeral pre-payment plans.

• PRE-PLANNING A FUNERAL

Each funeral plan can be personalised by including special requests, such as a favourite hymn or piece of music.  Alternatively, you may prefer to specify your own individual arrangements.  WITH OUR BESPOKE OPTION YOU CAN TAILOR A SERVICE THAT IS UNIQUE TO YOU. 

• Why choose to take out a Funeral Plan?
• Peace of mind for you and your family.  By planning your funeral in advance, you’ll be sparing your family and friends the difficult decisions when making funeral arrangements.
• Once you have taken out a Plan, you’ll never have to worry about your funeral again.
• Richardson & Wise Finance guarantee your money is placed in a secure Trust Fund, professionally managed and independently run, which guarantees your money will be available to pay for your funeral. 
• You can choose one of our popular options with fixed prices, or personalise your plan with every detail exactly as you want it.

The advantage of a funeral plan over a savings account or life insurance policy is that you can pay now, at today’s price, and beat inflation.  The funeral director’s fees will be paid by Richardson & Wise Finance Ltd at the time of the funeral.  All funeral prepayments are held in Trust until required.

There is a wide choice of Plans available through our independent financial services company, offering different levels of funeral arrangements to suit your personal needs and budget. Alternatively, the Bespoke Funeral Plan allows you to tailor a Funeral Plan to your exact requirements.

Please note: Disbursements include fees such as; Doctors fees, Clergy and Crematoria.  Any rise in the cost of these Disbursements may necessitate a further payment from your estate, executor or next of kin at the time in need, but Richardson & Wise will guarantee the cost of Disbursements to the RPI (Retail Price Index).

FUNERAL PLANS...

• Providing guidance to the family or executors on the registration of the death and other matters relevant to the funeral.
• Transfer of the deceased to the funeral director’s premises from anywhere in the local area (i.e. a thirty mile radius of the local funeral director’s premises).  If a transfer is required from further away this will incur additional costs at the time.
• Taking care of the deceased until the funeral and providing facilities for viewing by the family at the funeral director’s premises, including preparation and dressing in a suitable gown or clothes supplied by the family.  Viewing is usually available by appointment during normal office hours.
• The supply of a coffin.  There are various options available at a range of prices.
• Making all the arrangements for the funeral and providing a funeral director, drivers and bearers for the funeral service.
• Supply of a hearse for the funeral.
• Receiving flowers for the funeral, or charitable donations in lieu of flowers, and providing a list of donors for the family or executors.

YOUR FUNERAL PLAN GUARANTEE

Once you have paid for your Plan Richardson & Wise Finance Ltd will send you a Funeral Plan Guarantee Certificate confirming your plan details.  If you choose to pay by instalments, your payment plan and plan details will be confirmed and the guarantee certificate will be issued when the instalments have been completed.

The Funeral Plan Guarantee Certificate comes with practical information for your relatives or executor on what they should do at the time of the funeral, your personal wishes for the funeral and where your important documents are kept.

TYPES OF COFFIN

• An environmentally friendly cardboard coffin;
• A plain basic coffin with handles and name plate;
• A coffin with wood-effect veneer, simulated brass handles and name plate;
• A solid wood coffin with plain sides, brass handles and name plate.

HOW TO ARRANGE A FUNERAL

In order to make the funeral arrangements, the funeral director will need:

• Register the Death

Death should normally be registered within five days at the registry office covering the district the death occurred.  This is usually done by a relative, someone present at the death, or the person making the arrangements for the funeral.

• Arrange the Funeral

It is important that you should find the last Will made by the deceased as soon as possible as it may include his wishes for a funeral.  If the death was sudden, a coroner may become involved, which could impact on registration and funeral arrangements.

• Dealing with the Will

If the deceased had made a Will, there should be a copy among his personal papers.  If you can’t find one, check with his solicitor, bank or other adviser who may have helped him make a Will, or be holding it in safe custody.  If there isn’t a Will, the deceased is said to have died ‘intestate’ and his estate will be distributed according to the rules of intestacy.

• Applying for Probate

Probate is a legal document that entitles the executor or administrator to make and receive payments from the estate and deal with the assets and property of the deceased.  If the estate is small, or if it is held in joint names and passes automatically to the surviving owner, you may not need to apply for probate.  You will need to get a grant of probate if there is a Will or a Grant of Letter of Administration if there is not, if you are unsure we can advise you.

• If there is not a Will

If there is not a Will the personal representative must distribute the balance of the estate according to the rule of intestacy.  If there is a surviving spouse or civil partner with children, the surviving spouse receives

The first £25,000 of the estate and personal possessions and a life interest in half of the estate, the children sharing the other half. If there is a surviving spouse or civil partner with no children, but if any of the deceased’s parents, brothers and sisters or their children are still alive the surviving spouse receives:

The first £450,000 of the estate, and the personal possessions, and half the rest of the estate, the above relatives (or some of them) sharing the other half.

If there is not a surviving spouse or civil partner the money is divided equally among the persons in one of the following groups and taken in the priority shown below, if there are not any surviving relatives in the first group, then the next group take priority and so on.

• Children;
• Grandchildren;
• Parents;
• Brothers and Sisters;
• Grandparents;
• Aunts and Uncles;
• Nephews and Nieces;
• Cousins.

If there are not any relatives, the Crown has a right to the whole of the estate.

You may decide you would like to visit the person who has died in the chapel of rest.  Some people find it helps, and others find it upsetting to see someone they loved now dead.  Your funeral director can talk this through with you.

The funeral service can include anything you feel appropriate, we’ve listed the main things people usually consider when arranging a funeral service:

• Where will the service be held, on what day and at what time?
• Who will lead the service?
• What would you like to be said and who by?
• Would you like music?
• Would you like flowers?
• Would you like an order of service?
• Do you want an announcement in the newspaper?
• What transport arrangements do you want?
• Are there any special arrangements you would like us to make?

Your funeral director will help you.  When you have decided, we will inform you of the costs in a written estimate and then make the arrangements for you.